When the Light Dies
by IsabellaWinxSirenix
Summary: Tobey's Valentine's Day gift to WordGirl goes horribly wrong, causing WordGirl to discover a darker side of herself and Tobey to discover a stunning revelation about his beloved heroine. One-shot. Prequel to Forgotten Destiny, A Symbol of Hope, and Angel's Sacrifice. Book 1 of the Radiance series. Rated T for violence and a little creepiness.


**Hello everyone! I'm IsabellaWinxSirenix (Bella for short), but most of you know me as WinxMagiaDiWordGirl from wiki. Anyway, this is my first fanfiction story ever, so I'm in desperate need for reviews and tips for improvement. This story is pretty dark, violent, and a little creepy, so be warned. **

**This story was inspired by chapter six of Moments Like Sand by Endless Secrets and Just A Little Mind Control by crazytomboy78, so a big thanks to them.**

**I love music, so here are some songs that helped me during the writing process and really set the mood for this story:**

**WordGirl: Sweet Sacrifice and Lose Control by Evanescence**

**Tobey: Good Enough by Evanescence**

**Hope you like it!**

**Disclaimer: I DO NOT OWN WORDGIRL, SCHOLASTIC AND SOUP 2 NUTS DO!**

* * *

**Just another day in our Fair City as WordGirl and Captain Huggy Face race to stop Tobey's robots from reeking havoc on the city.**

"Honestly, can't I get a day off for once? It's Valentines Day for crying out loud!" she complained as she followed the sounds of screaming using her super hearing, prepared to battle Tobey's 50-foot robots. Once she reached the source of the commotion, WordGirl was surprised to see that instead of the usual stomping and tearing down buildings, today, all the robots were standing perfectly still around one building. Befuddled, she flew to the roof to find not just Tobey, self-proclaimed evil boy genius, but Mr. Big, wicked business millionaire, and Doctor Two-Brains, a criminal scientist with a mouse brain fused to his head.

_This is certainly the strangest team-up I've ever seen, _she thought to herself. _And why aren't Tobey's robots doing anything?_

"Okay, what's going on here?" she asked the three criminals as she hovered in the air.

"Why, WordGirl!" exclaimed Tobey, practically squealing with delight at the sight of the girl who captured his heart, no matter how many times he'd been rejected. He used to think it was all a silly schoolboy crush that would fade away in time, but now, he knew better. WordGirl was the love of his life, his obsession, and here was his chance to finally win her. "I just wanted to wish you Happy Valentines Day and give you this present." He pulled out a box to reveal the prettiest necklace she had ever seen. It was ornately crafted into a complex tangle of swirls, vines, butterflies, and flowers, only to center around one sky blue heart.

WordGirl was awed by its beauty. "That's lovely, I mean, why would you give that to me? And why are those two here?" She pointed at Mr. Big and Doctor Two Brains.

"We're here," said Mr. Big. "on behalf of the Evil Villains Association, to let you know that in honor of Valentines Day, we are not going to commit any crimes."

Were they for serious? "Hmm, I don't believe you. You've never recognized a holiday before, so why start now?

"Well, we talked it over at the convention," replied Two Brains hastily. "And since so many of us villains have dates–" WordGirl and Huggy giggled. "–we decided to let our fellow villains have some peace."

WordGirl nodded; their story had a ring of truth to it. Then, she turned back to Tobey. "About this necklace," she began, suspicious, "what if I don't want to wear it?"

"That's quite simple," the boy said calmly. "Since I don't take rejection lightly, my robots will tear this city apart."

The Lexiconian checked her watch. "Only 10 minutes until school," she muttered. "I don't have time to fight them. Huggy, what do you think?"

"It's just a necklace," he squeaked in reply. "It's not like it's a bomb or something. Just take it and get out of here."

"Okay, fine, I'll wear it," WordGirl agreed reluctantly. "But this doesn't mean I like you or anything, got it?"

Tobey smiled slyly. "Of course, my dearest WordGirl." Rolling her eyes, she landed on the roof and lifting her hair, allowed Tobey to slip the blue necklace around her neck. With a zap, the two ends melded together seamlessly.

Immediately, her entire body started to tremble violently. Fire burned through her veins, mist clouded her vision, her head throbbed in pain, and she knew that only one thing could have caused it.

Lexonite.

She turned to Tobey, who surprisingly was just alarmed as her. "What's happening to her?" he cried to the other villains, who didn't know either. This wasn't going at all like they had planned.

"Maybe the tests were wrong?" Two-Brains replied nervously, watching WordGirl convulse on the ground. Huggy squeaked in alarm, trying to pull off the necklace, but Tobey stopped him.

"You can't get it off," Tobey said as he cried. "It's solid steel." Huggy screamed in frustration, trying to help his friend, but all he could do was stroke her hair and chatter comforting words in her ear. After a minute or so, she couldn't take the pain any longer and blacked out.

Mr. Big knelt over her. "She's alive, Lover Boy. I don't know how she'll react to the Lexonite, though. She's only been exposed a few times before. "

As soon as he finished his sentence, WordGirl bolted up.

"Stay out of my way!" she screamed, pushing them aside. Everyone was shocked. The WordGirl they knew was never that harsh or rude.

"WordGirl, what's going on?" Tobey asked, placing a hand on her shoulder. She jerked back wildly, glaring at him with crazed, blood red eyes. Then, she flew off to a nearby building and started smashing it to pieces.

**What did you do to her?**

"The plan went wrong, it wasn't supposed to do this to her!" Tobey sobbed. "You lied to me!" he screamed at the villains. "You said it was different, it wouldn't hurt her!"

Mr. Big sighed. "Allow me to explain, Narrator. Remember that meteorite made of Lexonite that crashed here? Well, buried in its heart was a tiny blue, not red, piece of Lexonite. I didn't know what it was, so I took it to Two-Brains, the self-proclaimed 'brilliant scientist'."

"I _am_ a brilliant scientist!" said Doctor Two-Brains indignantly. "Anyway, after running some tests, I discovered the mineral would not only affect WordGirl physically, but mentally and emotionally. If she was exposed, she would become angry, violent, passionate–"

"And as soon as that lovesick kid, Tobey," interrupted Mr. Big. "heard the word 'passionate', he came begging for a piece." Both adult villains started laughing at the sight of Tobey's tomato-red face.

"So anyway," continued Two-Brains, wiping tears of mirth from his eyes, "we only followed his plan because we were curious to see what the outcome would be. Now, thanks to this kid, we've got a crazy, out-of-control WordGirl on the loose."

"Wait just a second, it's not my fault! You're the one who got the info wrong!"

The mad scientist was taken aback. "_My _fault? I explicitly told you that I wasn't sure of anything, since I had no ability to test my theory. It's not like I could go up to WordGirl and say, 'Hey, WordGirl, say, can you do you worst archenemy a favor and wear this potentially deadly necklace to see if you'll fall in love with this goofball?' Anyway, if you want to blame someone, blame Mr. Big for finding the cursed stone in the first place!"

Huggy squeaked in frustration. Why were they fighting? They had to stop WordGirl before she destroyed the city! The monkey pointed down below where the superhero threw a bus across 12 blocks where it exploded into a burst of flame. All around, people where screaming, bruised and bleeding, but the worst part was hearing WordGirl's insane, maniacal laughter as she observed the chaos around her.

**Well, aren't you going to do anything about her?**

"Um, I'd love to help," began Two-Brains nervously as he saw yet another building crumble to pieces under the Lexiconian's might. "but I've got… an evil scheme to plan!" And with that, he raced down the fire escape and drove away in his van.

"And, I have new products to sell!" With surprising agility, Mr. Big jumped into his corporate helicopter with his assistant, Leslie.

**So much for hard-core criminals.**

"I guess it's just you and me to save to day," said Tobey to Huggy, neither of them pleased with the team-up, but the screams below stiffened their resolve. They clambered onto one of Tobey's robots (Huggy much more gracefully than Tobey) and guided by the cries of terror, preceded to the jewelry store.

"Don't like me so much now, do you?" WordGirl screamed at the innocent citizens along with several other harsh obscenities. "Feel betrayed, abandoned? Did it ever occur to you that you've made me suffer like that more times than I can count? I've always, ALWAYS been there for you, never failed to save the day, and yet you foolish idiots continue turn on me! Did it ever occur to you that it's not my job to be your salvation? That I could always walk away in times of danger if I wanted to? And then where would you be? Dead, or left at the mercy of these villains!" With a cry of anger, she kicked the wall of the jewelry store, causing all those priceless gems to shatter on the ground. She lifted up the counter to find Reginald, the store clerk, cowering in fear.

"WordGirl!" Tobey shouted from the entrance. WordGirl turned and smiled eerily, hurling the counter several feet through the gaping chasm in the shop.

"Why, Tobey, how nice of you to join me," the Lexiconian greeted seductively. "Thank you for the necklace, it was such a thoughtful gift."

"Oh, it was nothing, I mean, you have to take it off! It's made of Lexonite, it's going to poison you!"

Her gleaming crimson eyes burned with hatred. "Funny," she said softly as she walked toward him. "I feel perfectly fine, better than I ever thought imaginable. However, pretty soon, I won't be able to say the same for you." She balled her hand into a fist and was about to punch him, when she caught sight of Huggy.

If she was angry before, it wasn't even close to how she felt at the sight of her former friend. Her fury boiled over like molten lava, terrible to behold. She could live for a thousand years, but her rage for him would never abate. "YOU!" she cried, flying at the speed of sound to strike him with everything she had. Fortunately, his quick alien instincts allowed him to duck just in time. WordGirl scowled.

"WordGirl, listen to me!" he screeched. "I'm your friend, remember?"

"Lies! You were never a friend to me, you traitor! I know all about it, about how you betrayed my family and I during the war. Tell me, how does it feel to know that your sweet little sitter Jamie never made it off the planet, that she perished in the City of Memories?"

Huggy was stunned speechless. "How… how did you…"

"This necklace revealed everything, all your dirty little secrets. You lied to me, and now I'm going to kill you, Damien!" She grabbed the broken counter and hurled it at Huggy with a vengeance. However, in her rage, she had miscalculated so it missed him by a hair.

Brushing himself off, the monkey pilot got to his feet. "I'm really sorry about this, WordGirl," he began, as he pulled out a needle of glowing red liquid. "but I have no choice. It's not going to kill you, just a few drops will be enough to sedate you." He lunged for her arm, but the superhero was too quick for him. She snatched the needle from him, and laughing mischievously, injected the entire thing into her skin.

Huggy was shocked. "What did you do? It's going to kill you, WordGirl! Are you out of your mind?

She seemed to glow with a dark red energy, feeling it swirl around her, giving her strength. "Why yes, yes I am." And with that, she pinned Huggy to the wall.

"It's time for you to pay for everything you've done to me," she said, preparing to deliver a deathblow. Suddenly, her hand was restrained in a web of purple, unbreakable yarn. Furious at whoever stopped her from carrying on her vengeance, she turned and saw all the villains assembled together.

**So ****_that's_**** why you two left!**

"Of course," replied Mr. Big, offended. "I'm not the most brilliant villain here for nothing!" The narrator rolled his eyes, but of course, no one could see it.

"Step away from that aardvark, WordGirl," ordered Dr. Two-Brains, pointing a cheese ray at her.

The young superhero just laughed and easily broke through Granny May's yarn. "You think a bunch of weak little human freaks can stop me?" She jerked forward, stumbling, but still menacing. "You know you can't defeat me, so why even try?"

"We're going to stop you," said Chuck-the-Evil-Sandwich-Making-Guy doubtfully.

"We'll see about that." She twirled in the air and kicked Ms. Question in the chest, sending her flying out the window.

Two-Brains zapped her with his ray, encasing her in a block of cheese, which she easily broke free from.

"That's impossible, that cheese is stronger than steel!" WordGirl just scowled, the red pulsating light around her in contrast with her bloodied outfit making her look like a living piece of Lexonite.

And so the battle raged on, and after several hours, the villains managed to get WordGirl out of the city and into the woods, just feet away from her spaceship hideout.

She had just dodged yet another blast from Chuck's condiment ray when Captain Huggy Face came charging through the battle, upset at being left behind by the villains. Once the 11-year-old girl set eyes on him, it was like nothing in the world mattered to her anymore. As the Whammer was about to blast her, she raised her arms and focusing that strange red aura, pulled her arms down, creating two impenetrable crimson walls, forming an aisle containing WordGirl and Huggy, and blocking out the villains. The former partners in crime fighting now circled each other, preparing for a fight as the city's worst criminals looked on.

"Why did you do it, Damien? Why? You lied to me, you took me away from Lexicon, just when my planet needed me the most. You heard the prophecy, you knew I was destined to become Lexicon's savior, yet you ripped away Lexicon's last hope of survival!"

"WordGirl, you're not making sense–"

"Don't call me that! My name isn't WordGirl! My real name is Alexandria, a little detail you decided not to share with me. Honestly, do you even know when you're lying anymore, or has your conscience withered away and shriveled up, leaving you with no guilt?"

Huggy gulped. Was this really the sweet little baby girl from his spaceship? The girl who always stayed true to her friends? The hero that stood for justice? His friend was mutilated, completely unrecognizable. Could he really bring her back from this state? Or even worse, had this part of her always existed, buried underneath the surface, suppressed, but always there?

"I was trying to save Lexicon." Huggy whispered quietly. Without any warning, she roughly pushed him into the barrier. Huggy cried out in pain as the wall shocked him.

"That's what happens when you lie to me," she whispered dangerously. "You knew as well as I do that Lexicon didn't stand a chance against the Sparx Empire. I was my planet's only salvation, and you ripped it all away!"

"I was only acting on my queen's orders–"

"And because of it, you condemned Lexicon to its destruction!" She burst out crying. "We were supposed to be the most advanced civilization in the Andromenia Galaxy, how could a monkey be able to tear it all down? My planet might be gone, but you could care less!"

"You know that's not true, Word… _Alexandria_. I wanted to see Lexicon saved as well."

"Well, if you really think that, why didn't you take me back? The prophecy is supposed to be fulfilled less than 3 Earth months from now, and yet you still won't let me carry out my destiny!"

Huggy didn't respond because he knew she wouldn't listen anyway. Suddenly disgusted by touching him, WordGirl abruptly dropped him, leaving him crumpled and hurt on the ground.

"It doesn't matter anymore; you'll be killed soon enough, anyway. As for this planet, these silly little humans will be eradicated. I will create a new Lexicon and be hailed as its savior." Then she turned to the terrified villains. "And what about you? Will you join me? Weak and idiotic as you are, you abilities could be useful to me. You are lost, broken, and rejected now, but turn your back on humanity, and I will reward you greatly."

The villains looked at each other dubiously. Were they really willing to partner with this crazy psychopath to save their skins? In the end, no one stepped forward.

"No one?" WordGirl whispered softly. "Well then, maybe you need a little incentive. Let me show you what happens to those who defy me." With a swift motion, the red barriers came crashing down and WordGirl planted herself in front of the villains.

"Who wants to be my guinea pig?" She decisively scanned the crowd. "Victoria," she spat with disgust. "You stuck-up little brat, the one who always thinks she's the best, even better than me. Do you still believe that?" Victoria fearfully shook her head. WordGirl walked away from her, and Victoria cried in relief. Searching the crowd of villains, she found a cowering Tobey and grabbed him by the neck.

"Greetings, Tobey," said WordGirl with a definite hint of insanity. "I think I'll choose you, since only one parent will grieve for you. You never heard back from your daddy, now did you? Would you like me to tell you what happened to him?" She leaned in closer until they were almost nose-to-nose. "He _died, _Tobey. Died as a drunk driver in a car accident." Tobey's eyes were almost popping out of his head, and tears fell freely from his eyes.

"WordGirl, stop it, you're crazy," he choked out.

"Yes, but only because of you, Tobey. Tell me, what's it feel like to see the monster you've created? The monster that is Just. Like. You." She punctuated the last three words with a vehement hatred.

"Come back to me," Tobey pleaded, gasping for air in her iron grip. "Please. You mean the world to me, and I can't bear to see you suffer. Come back, if not for me, then for your friends, your family, and everyone who cares about you."

WordGirl closed her eyes in pain, apparently trying to fight something inside her, and for a moment, Tobey thought that he had miraculously been able to break through to her. Then all those hopes vanished as she opened her eyes once more to reveal those horrible blood red eyes. She tightened her grip on Tobey's throat, and he knew this was the end. He took one final gaze at his love before he died, imagining her chocolate brown eyes that lit up whenever she defined a word or triumphed over a villain, her glossy black hair that almost never got messed up in battle, and her soft, kind smile that was like a ray of sunshine. Tobey closed his eyes and filled himself with these thoughts, trying to make his final moments on Earth the happiest possible.

Tobey felt the pressure lessen from his neck and believed he was finally exiting this life before he realized WordGirl was letting go.

WordGirl had started screaming and clutching her head in agony.

"Alexandria, stop it!" she screamed.

"Oportet implere fatum!" she yelled in Lexiconian.

"No, I can't!"

"Non pugnabitis contra, et quae semper fiunt sine te esse voluerunt!"

Everyone watched as WordGirl fought between the two sides of herself, one speaking in her native dialect and the other in English. Finally, with a bone-chilling scream, she fell unconscious. Frightened, everyone formed a circle around her, unsure of what to do.

"We've got to get that necklace off her," rasped Tobey, his throat very sore. "Whammer, do you think you can do it?"

"The Whammer will try his best, wham."

"Just be careful, okay? She's very weak right now, so try not to hurt her."

With a soft blast, the necklace snapped, and Tobey threw it as far away as possible. He cradled WordGirl in his arms, trying to revive her. "Why isn't she waking up?" he sobbed.

"Maybe we should call a doctor?" suggested Chuck.

"Chuck, she's an alien, doctors on Earth can do nothing for her," Two-Brains reminded. They all simultaneously turned to Huggy, the only other Lexiconian present. Huggy weakly started limping into the forest, motioning for the others to follow him. With Tobey carrying WordGirl, they proceeded into the woods until they reached the Super Secret Spaceship Hideout.

"Wow, this place is amazing, wonderful, and fantastic," said Lady Redundant Woman in awe. Several of the other criminals expressed their similar thoughts and even started exploring the spaceship, at least until Granny May called them to order. Embarrassed for acting so childish, the villains gathered together and went to see WordGirl, who was lying in bed, still unconscious, as Dr. Two-Brains studied an advanced holographic projection of her inner anatomy with Tobey sitting shell-shocked and refusing to leave the heroine's side.

"How is she?" asked Granny May with (although she would never admit it) a hint of concern for her archenemy.

"How does she look?" Tobey cried, bursting into tears yet again. "It's all my fault," he cried. "If I hadn't tried to use that necklace, this never would've happened to her! Now I know why she doesn't love me; I always mess up!" Huggy patted his shoulder gently, hoping to reassure him.

"Hey, kid," began the Butcher sympathetically. "It's not you're fault. We've all made mistakes, and I'm sure when WordGirl wakes up, she's gonna forgive you, because that's the kind of understamping person she is."

Tobey nodded, wiping the tears from his eyes and not even bothering to correct the Butcher's English.

"Where did you get that?" asked Ms. Question, pointing at the holographic image.

"Oh, that," said Two-Brains. "Well, back when I was Professor Steven Boxleitner, I wasn't just her friend, but I acted as a doctor for her as well. From my perspective, she's not looking too good. More than 85% of her blood is poisoned with Lexonite. I've tried everything: serums, minerals, some inventions of mine–"

"Maybe it's not her body that you need to help," said Mr. Big. "Maybe the way to cure her is locked inside her mind."

The mad scientist was surprised by the advice. "Do you really think it'll work?"

"It might. In my experience, I can tell you that the mind has more importance than we give it credit for. It's so complex, with many layers, thoughts, and methods of piecing things together. Besides, right before she blacked out, it was like she was fighting something inside her head."

"Oh my God, it's up to 90%. If it gets to 100, there's no chance of bringing her back. We've only got a few minutes at most, so if we try your plan, there won't be enough time to try a new one."

"Please, Two-Brains, I have a feeling it will work. It's our only chance to save her."

Two-Brains looked at the poor little girl and for a moment, it felt like they were still friends, that nothing had changed. He had to save her, just like she had tried so many times to save him from Squeaky. After all the trouble he'd caused her, maybe this was his chance to finally make it right. "I'll do it." The doctor pressed his finger to the brain of the holograph and said, "Conduct brain wave scan."

At once, a dazzling light shone from WordGirl, filling the room and causing everyone to shut their eyes so as not to go blind. When the light dimmed enough, they opened their eyes to find a strange scene constructed in the room. It was an image from WordGirl's mind, so real it was as if it was really there, with the only difference between it and the actual objects in the room was a slightly blurry, dreamlike quality to the image.

There was a shelter built from thousands upon thousands of sparkling crystals in all colors, most never seen on Earth. It looked as if it would normally be a peaceful place, but today, people were screaming, running for their lives as it came crashing down, and yet two people were remarkably calm amidst the chaos. One was immediately recognizable as a younger Huggy, complete with his pilot's attire. The other was an attractive young woman in her mid-twenties wearing an almost Egyptian-styled dress, with long flowing red hair and a baby cradled in her arms.

"Take her, Damien, and go!" the woman cried, placing the baby in Huggy's arms.

"My Queen, are you positive this is wise?"

"Despite our power, this will be a hard-fought war, and I do not want our enemy to have any advantage if I can help it." From her neck, she removed a necklace with a white crystalline heart, which fractured into a million tiny rainbows. Delicately, she put it around the baby's neck. "It will slow down the process, hopefully giving us enough time. Take Alexandria to Earth, I will contact you there. And be warned, Damien, under no circumstances are you to do anything to that girl until I specifically tell you to, unless you wish to behold the full extent of my power."

"Yes, your Majesty." Then a rumble shook the ground.

"Go now and be safe," the queen ordered, and with a final bow, Huggy boarded his spaceship with Lexicon's last ray of hope.

Then, like a pebble being dropped in a pond, the scene changed into two WordGirls battling in the same temple of crystals. One was wearing her normal superhero attire, while the other was wearing a long, flowing white gown and had long shiny black hair that reached down to the waist. The latter was clearly getting the upper hand as she sent her doppelganger crashing into one of the crystals.

"Alexandria, please, listen to me!" cried WordGirl in pain. "You can't solve your problems like this. Maybe… maybe there's something we don't know! Something that could justify his actions!"

"You know, for someone who _is _me, we're not that much alike at all," said Alexandria as she delivered yet another blow. Tobey screamed at her to get up, but she couldn't hear him; she was trapped in the dream.

Alexandria's red eyes glowed with triumph. "He can never be forgiven, no matter how much you want to deny it." She took another step towards WordGirl to draw out her victory as much as possible. "If you weren't holding me back from achieving my destiny, I'd be almost sad to see you go. It's been so much fun tossing you around like a helpless little doll." She affectionately gazed at the queen's white crystal heart necklace. Then, she grabbed a knife-sharp ruby crystal and poised it over WordGirl, laughing as she watched her try desperately to get to her feet.

Then, in an act of desperation, insanity, grief, or maybe a combination of all three, Tobey charged headlong like a raging bull into the dream, firmly placing himself in-between Alexandria and WordGirl. Both girls were stunned to say the least. Tobey yanked hard on the crystal heart and tore it off the golden chain.

As if an outside force was controlling him, he dashed out of the dream and with all his strength, slammed the crystal into WordGirl's chest. The crystal shattered and slowly dissolved into a shower of sparkles that were then absorbed into her body. At once, the dream vanished. Then, WordGirl slowly opened her eyes.

"WordGirl, you're alright!" rejoiced Tobey, hugging her in excitement. Even though she was their greatest enemy, the villains started cheering as well, for they knew that even though WordGirl always foiled their evil schemes, she did not deserve to die.

"Tobey, I'm not quite sure whether to beg for your forgiveness or punch you in the face," WordGirl stated weakly. "I mean, on the one hand, I was merciless to you about your father and I tried to kill you, so I'm really sorry and I hope you'll forgive me. However, you did turn me into a psycho manic with that necklace."

Tobey let go of her, his face burning in shame. "WordGirl, I'm sorry as well. I didn't know how that necklace would affect you. All I wanted to do was make you love me." He said the last sentence in a mumble, hoping none of the other villains could hear him.

Surprised, WordGirl knew that he really did mean his apology. "Tobey," she began with a tenderness she never knew she could show to a criminal as she studied his tear-streaked face. "Were you crying?"

Tobey looked shocked and mentally kicked himself. Was it really that obvious? "Well, yeah. You were dying, and I…" The boy genius choked up, not wanting to finish the sentence. WordGirl understood and turned away. Surveying the mass of villains, she saw Huggy, looking bruised and battered. WordGirl burst into tears, which was probably not the best thing to do in front of her enemies, but she didn't care.

"Huggy, I'm so sorry for everything I said and did. You have to believe me, I wasn't in my right mind."

Huggy pushed through the crowd and leaped into WordGirl's lap, overjoyed at having his old friend back. "It's okay, I know it wasn't really you."

Finally, she addressed the villains. "Words can't describe how grateful I am to you. You are the people I would least expect to save my life, but you did anyway."

"We know you'd do the same for us," replied Granny May.

"And I'm just glad we don't have a crazy, power-hungry WordGirl striving for world-domination," added Doctor Two-Brains. "But don't expect us to be this nice to you in battles," he said teasingly.

"So WordGirl, how are you feeling?" Tobey asked concernedly. "Do you need anything?"

"I guess I'm okay, but my head feels like a volleyball at the Summer Olympics."

"We'll let you rest, recover, and recuperate," said Lady Redundant Woman.

"Okay, and thanks again." Huggy got up and escorted them through the winding maze of hallways to the exit chute.

As the villains walked through the forest, Tobey thought about summoning one of his robots to take him home. However, when he checked his pocket, his master remote was missing. Thinking he dropped it in WordGirl's hideout, he crept away from the group and dashed through the door just before it closed. Glancing up and down the corridors, he searched for his remote but to no avail. Finally, he reached the room with WordGirl and her strange monkey friend. He lingered outside the door, intrigued by what was going on.

"Huggy, you should rest while I go and fix the city."

"No, WordGirl, stay here. Everything can be taken care of tomorrow. Besides, I doubt you even have the strength to fly right now."

"But I have to! I hurt so many people, they need to understand what happened!"

"Well, then, try to fly," Huggy challenged, knowing what would happen. The Lexiconian girl managed to hover a few feet in the air before she fell back down onto the mattress in exhaustion.

Reluctantly admitting that he was right, WordGirl laid back down.

Huggy smirked and then started dabbing a sparkling green liquid on the cuts on her face.

Tobey was just about to leave before WordGirl saw him spying on her and find his remote later when her next statement stopped him.

"He really had to go and do that, and just when I was beginning to tolerate him," said WordGirl as she drank a glass of water. Interested in what WordGirl had to say about him, Tobey hid behind a pile of boxes labeled 'Pretty Princess Ponies.'

"Honestly, Tobey just doesn't know when to quit, does he? He's just so aggravating!"

"But he saved your life," said Huggy. In response to WordGirl's puzzled expression, Huggy recollected the entire dream.

"I do remember that, well, most of it, it's just that everything is so foggy, Huggy," said WordGirl in a frustrated tone. "He really did all that for me?" she asked thoughtfully.

"The kid was crying his eyes out over you, I've never seen anything like it. You know, he may have a lot of glaring flaws, but he does care about you."

"I guess," she replied reluctantly. "I never thought I'd admit this, but I really admire his persistence."

"What does persistence mean?"

"Persistence means being stubbornly determined and refusing to stop until you get something you want," WordGirl defined proudly. "For example, Tobey is persistent because he won't stop until I go out with him. But really, he was crying that hard? I wish I remembered that."

"WordGirl… how much _do _you remember?"

She scrunched up her face in concentration. "I remember smashing buildings, throwing a bus… then I fought you in the jewelry store… I said some awful things to you, but I can't remember what… pictures from my past just kept streaming through my head… then the villains came and I fought them… we were in the woods… I pushed you into a weird crimson wall… then I started to choke Tobey… and all I remember was thinking 'no, not him'…" With that, she started to cry. Tobey was stunned. WordGirl never, _never _cried. It was like seeing a real life unicorn, or finding a penguin in the desert, or Tobey not building robots, it just didn't happen. Yet those were definitely tears.

"Do you remember the name Damien?" asked Huggy, bracing himself for the answer. WordGirl sadly shook her head, too sad and confused to ask who Damien was. "What do you remember about me?"

"Nothing, just that dream with the pretty red-haired woman," WordGirl replied.

"Why did I do that?" she suddenly burst out. "I know I was poisoned with Lexonite, but some part of me actually enjoyed it! I enjoyed hurting people! I mean, I always have to be so careful, so decisive, so in control all the time. When I was under the blue Lexonite's influence, I felt like… like I didn't have to fight anymore, that I could just do whatever I wanted and not worry about the consequences. Like I could finally be free."

"And do you still want to act that way?" Huggy asked softly.

"No! I can't always think about what I want, but about the common good, about others instead of myself."

"WordGirl, I'm not going to lie to you, but every Lexiconian is evil in nature. Without any conscience or any threat of punishment, we would act just as you did and worse. That's what blue Lexonite, or Pravumite, brings out in us. But listen to me. That awful darkness in you is exactly what makes the good in you shine so radiantly. Darkness and light exist not to wipe the other one out but for the sole reason to balance each other, to make sure there is never a victor. So it is with every being in the universe, be it human or Lexiconian. WordGirl, your ability to fight the evil inside you so well is what makes you so wonderful. All the problems and challenges in life aren't meant to punish or hinder you, but to make you even stronger. Having evil in you doesn't define you, but rather how much you try to stop it from taking over."

WordGirl sat in silence for a few minutes, letting the truth of his words sink in. "Wow, how did you get so smart, Huggy?"

The monkey smiled. "That's a story for another day."

"Okay," WordGirl replied sleepily, letting a huge yawn escape her lips.

"There, I'm done boring you with my lessons on the ways of the universe, get some sleep." She murmured a reply and in a matter of seconds, she fell asleep.

Huggy smiled serenely at her. Ever since he'd found her his spaceship, she had become like the daughter he'd never had. He had watched over her, taught her how to use and control her powers, distracted her parents while she lifted a couch over her head. He had always been by her side, but in a few months, none of that would matter anymore. Huggy would have to let her go and allow destiny to play out, for better or for worse.

Trying to distract himself from those thoughts, he carefully took off her battle-worn helmet, trying not to wake her, and started combing her hair, getting rid of the vicious snarls and blood from that day.

Tobey looked on, bracing himself to learn the impossible about his beloved heroine. _No, it can't be, _he thought. But he knew, deep in his heart, even before she turned her head: the truth was inevitable, the facts all fit together.

Tobey was staring into the peacefully sleeping face of Becky Botsford.

* * *

**I love cliffhangers! **

**Bonus points if you know what language Lexiconian really is! (Google translate rocks!)**

**Sorry if WordGirl and Huggy were a bit OCC in this one, I'll try to stick to the characters better next time.**

**In case I wasn't clear enough, in the fight between WordGirl and Alexandria, they aren't two different people. Alexandria is the evil part of her, and WordGirl is the good. I just gave them different names to make it easier to tell who was talking.**

**Why was WordGirl sent to Earth? What is this mysterious prophecy? How will Tobey react to knowing WordGirl's secret identity? Find out in the sequel, Forgotten Destiny, which will be published tomorrow! It's a Winx Club and WordGirl crossover, so be sure to look in that section. **

**Hope you liked my first attempt at FanFiction! Please rate and review!**


End file.
